Fender VS Music Man

[GBassNorth]

What is the best bass for acoustic death metal?

(Sorry, couldn't resist)


In all seriousness, I would go for the Ray.

Here's the best bass I have for acoustic death metal - a Rainsong all graphite acoustic electric bass that was custom made for John Entwistle in the late 1990's. It still has the original strings he had installed on it by the factory and has more growl and grind than my Warwick Thumb bass. I don't play it often but when I do it just feels so right!

 

[dudelove]

ill pick jazz, i really like stingray, but in this case the sub is more stinky than jazz

 

[jefff100]

.......but my next bass, after careful consideration, might very well me a Stingray 5. I think they can do good soft, subdued tones when needed, but can go up from where the Fender Jazz levels off for edge and powerful tone. IMO

Yes, exactly. On the Stingray 5 you can get nice, mellow organic tones using both PU'ps and neutral settings of the EQ. If you want grind, pull back to the bridge pickup and you have the classic rock & roll Music Man attiude (which works great for Praise Muisc). If you want a punchy tone like a jazz, I go for the neck P/U and scoop the mids, or I also like the #2 position, which is one coil from each PU in parralel.

My poor fender has not seen much playing time since the Stingray came home too roost.

 

[jefff100]

Here's the best bass I have for acoustic death metal - a Rainsong all graphite acoustic electric bass that was custom made for John Entwistle in the late 1990's. It still has the original strings he had installed on it by the factory and has more growl and grind than my Warwick Thumb bass. I don't play it often but when I do it just feels so right!

cool, I never knew Rainsong made a bass. Is the whole guitrar CF or just the soundboard?

 

[ObeyGiant]

I didn't want to post a new thread so I thought I'd post it here. The bass was backordered and after having a couple of days to think about it... I cancelled it

I can't really justify spending that much money on a bass right now. Not gigging and barely playing for like a year ya know? Sucks but I'm going to have to jump into it a little cheaper.

I took a lot of the advice of looking around the used market and found a Fender Jazz 5er for 350 (probably could haggle down). The description isn't very descriptive... says "no nicks, scratches, or defects of any kind... LIKE NEW" and from the one crappy picture and the price on it, it looks to be a MIM passive (a + to me) in some red color with a white pick guard and a rosewood board. Not what I would have chosen color wise, but I'm not super picky. I haven't contacted the seller yet but probably will sometime after I go to sleep and wake up.

I had also been hearing about the quality of the Squier VM series and was really considering buying the P bass version. I have always wanted a P bass and after listening to some sound clips of P's with Flats on them, I think that would be PERFECT for what I am doing right now.

The only downside to the Squier is that it is a 4 string, but I think I'd put a Hipshot drop D on it for when we play half step down or whatever and would probably get along fine without a low B... but that would be about the same price as the USED Fender Jazz... Is the Fender version of much higher quality? Or is it just a name? I hear a lot of people comparing these VMs to MIM Fenders and some even to MIA Fenders...

tl;dr version:
If you had 350 and could only get one, would you get a USED MIM Fender Jazz V Standard or a Squier VM P Bass w/ Hipshot D Tuner?

Oh and could the Jazz get close to the sound of the P with Flats with some Flats or it's own? I've never used flats but have had a recent interest in them after hearing the sounds I heard come from them(and I hear they last a lot longer).

OH and ONE more thing... why does everyone say Fender 5's suck? I don't understand exactly what makes the fifth string on a Fender "weak" or whatever else people say.

So far I have to say TB has been VERY helpful and I am VERY grateful for the responses!

EDIT: My current bass is a Washburn T-24 I bought new in '06 if that affects anyones answers.

 

[Ben Noblit]

This is just my experience. . .but. . .MIM. . .ick. Go Squier. Also, nothing does a P tone like a P.

 

[ObeyGiant]

Really need to go to sleep... but looking over the classifieds I found a nice P/J... Do these deliver the same P tone as a P?

 

[88persuader]

Really need to go to sleep... but looking over the classifieds I found a nice P/J... Do these deliver the same P tone as a P?

Yeah they do. They HAVE an actual P pickup, they simply add a J bridge pickup to the mix. You can use one the other or both.

 

[adrianpavone]

Really need to go to sleep... but looking over the classifieds I found a nice P/J... Do these deliver the same P tone as a P?

I've got an American Deluxe Precision. Has a P/J. And let me tell you, you'd be hard pressed to find a more P sounding P when this thing is switched into passive mode.

Precision basses with an added J pickup are still P's, just with more options (for when you want more than a P).

 

[murphy]

get the jazz 5ver mim....they can be good basses....just make sure the neck is not twisty!

 

[Bassics101]

For a Jazz with a more P-like sound, you can always add a series parallel switch. Gets close. And you could do that with any J style, Squier, MIM, US. Just another option to consider.

 

[GBassNorth]

cool, I never knew Rainsong made a bass. Is the whole guitrar CF or just the soundboard?

Rainsong only made about a half dozen acoustic basses before they decided it was too much work and not enough market, so they instead focused on guitar building. They custom made this one for John so it's a rare bird indeed. The entire bass (soundboard, sides, back, neck, fretboard, headstock) is carbon fiber. The pic doesn't do it justice, the CF herringbone weave and depth of finish is breathtaking as is the sound it produces - much much more agressive than my Breedlove acoustic, very much in line with an acoustic version of his all graphite Buzzard bass. It's a keeper.

Now back to the OP thread - if a Stingray is not in your wallet today don't fret, some day it will be. In the mean time if you're going to focus on Fender Jazz or P basses I'd give you the same advice I've given to others (based on lots of personal bass buying experiences over the years). Find a top of the line MIA Fender you really like at a GC or Sam Ash type big box guitar store then play it against a Fender MIM of the same type, then take the best sounding/feeling one of those basses and play it against a Squier of the same type. Walk out of the store with the one YOU like best.

I didn't do this when I bought my MIA Jazz Deluxe 5 for $1200 and ended up sinking another $800 in upgrades in it to make it sound right. Was out looking for a "beater" bar gig bass that had a decent sound and stumbled across a Squier Jazz 5 Affinity bass. It looked, felt and sounded pretty nice and was only $200 new so I figured what the heck and bought it. When I got it home and played it on my SVT/Berg rig along side my $2000 MIA Hotrodded MIA Jazz 5 deluxe I was floored. The Squier sounded every bit as good even with the POS stock strings that were on it.

Lesson learned, when buying Fender/Squier basses there are some real gems in the racks - you really have to play them to find one. Unless you're going the Custom Shop route, Fender prices do not reflect better or worse quality, they reflect Fender's desire to market their products to different buying segments. A Squier can be just as good as a MIA Deluxe, like wise a MIA Deluxe can be just as bad as a Squier. With Fender, try before you buy if possible. That's not as much of an issue with Musicman products for some reason (probably because they have very consistant quality levels from bass to bass).

 

[StuartV]

If you've decided to go used (a very wise decision), look for a used Ray35.

 

[georgestrings]

If I had a budget of $350 and was looking for a 5er, I'd probably grab a used Ibby sr505 - best 5 string bass available in that price range, IMO...


- georgestrings

 

[Audix99]

Okay apparently Fender isn't part of that promotion so adding 15% off the Ray35 made it like 200 dollars cheaper than the Fender so... I ordered the Ray35 in Natural with Maple fretboard Hopefully I like it *fingers crossed*

Thanks for all the input guys.

I know you canceled your order, but for a future reference...
Even if a brand (e.g. Fender) is not a part of that promotion, if you call MF and ask for the 15% off of a Fender, they can and will usually make it happen over the phone order.

Oh, I can't believe that no one mentioned of a G&L L-2500!!!
If you want a versatility, G&L L-series is the one you have to consider!
And you can find a used G&L Tribute (import version) L-2500 around $450, I think...

 

[Calaverasgrande]

I think the Squier Jazz 4 bangers are pretty decent, as are the MIM ones. However the various MM basses and their import cousins seem to get that low mid oomph that Jazz basses do not. I think that is kind of more relevant to the styles of music you describe.
regarding the G&L, I have always found the L2500 to be kind of an annoying bass. It's a little too thick in the neck, and the switches don't seem to do anything useful for how many of them there are.
Circling back around to the MM vs Jazz idea.
With either one you have to kind of be careful how you attack the string to avoid the boingy/pingy kind of sound, if you are going for a smooth even tone.
That is in fact what I like about those basses. Is the ability to get a full round tone, and a very different strident aggressive tone, just by changing my technique.
Oh yeah, I forgot I was gonna buy an American Deluxe Jazz.

 

[newworldman86]

Try out the Squier VM Jazz 5 string. Yesterday I went out to some of my local music stores to try out some 5 strings. Even though my budget is pretty high, I found the VM jazz to be one of my favorites. The store with the VM jazz also had an american standard 5, as well as a mexi 5. The Squier VM was easily better than the mexi to my ears. The mexi just sounded kind of wimpy by comparision. The only area I felt that the american beat the VM in was fit and finish. While the action on the VM was very good, it did have some frets that needed to be filed down. When it came to sound they both sounded great, but in a different way. I was also impressed by the low b. While it is a bit weaker sounding than some of the other 5 strings, it was very balanced. I like how when I used the low b string it had a very similar volume to the e string.

 

[jefff100]

When Looking at imported Fenders; I'd suggest you shop where you can play it first before committing, such as a local store or classifed ad where you can play it before putting out cash. I've seen a significant lack of consistincy when it comes to the Squires & the MIM / MIK Fenders. I have a made in Japan Fender that has a good neck and plays well.

My local guitar tech advised me that he has seen a higher than normal incidence of bad truss rods on Fender 5 wires. Take it for what its worth. When you start looking at lower priced instruments, a bad truss rod can easily cost more to repair than the instrument is worth.

I looked at G&L 5's, and for me the neck profile was to chunky. That sort of thing comes down to personal preference. I like a more slender necks, I.E. my Fender is a Jazz profile neck, I play Taylor Guitars etc. The Ibanez SR necks are very nice, and I actually bought (but returned) an Ibanez SR1205e. There were other aspects about that Ibanez I didn't like that the MM addressed better.